Original Word: אָרַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: arach
Pronunciation: ah-RAHK
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-rakh')
KJV: go, wayfaring (man)
NASB: goes, traveler, wayfarer, wayfarers'
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to travel

wayfaring

A primitive root; to travel -- go, wayfaring (man).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to wander, journey, go
NASB Translation
goes (1), traveler (1), traveler* (1), wayfarer (1), wayfarers' (1).

אָרַח verb wander, journey, go (Phoenician ארךְ in מארח, probably = מְאָרֵחַ compare Ethiopic lead, conduct, see Nö^{ZMG 1888, 472}; epithet of god Eshmun, Sabean ארחֿ DHM^{Epigr. Denkm. p. 70}, Aramaic אוֺרֵחַ, traveller) —

Qal Perfect וְאָרַה consecutive Job 34:8; Participle אֹרֵחַ Judges 19:17 +; plural אֹרְהִים Jeremiah 9:1; —

1 journey, go, with עִם figurative of association, companionship Job 34:8 לְחֶבְרָה עִםמֹּֿעֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן וְלָלֶכֶת עִםאַֿנְשֵׁיֶֿ˜רשַׁע׃ ׳וְא (compare also הלך Psalm 1:1).

2 Participle wandering, wayfaring, journeying, הָאִישׁ הָאֹרֵחַ Judges 19:17; as substantive wanderer, wayfarer, traveller אֹרֵחַ 2 Samuel 12:4 ("" הֵלֶךְ), Jeremiah 14:8 ("" גֵּר, in simile of ׳י); מְלוֺן אֹרְחִים wayfarers' lodging-place Jeremiah 9:1.

Term Overview

The word depicts one who is on the move rather than permanently settled—a wayfarer, traveler, sojourner who passes through for a night or a brief season. In each occurrence the sense of impermanence and transience is at the foreground, providing a rich metaphor for spiritual, moral, and prophetic reflection.

Occurrences and Narrative Settings

• Judges 19:17 – An elderly Ephraimite notices “the traveler in the city square” and invites him in, a scene that reveals both the perils of the road in the days of the Judges and the covenant duty of hospitality.

• 2 Samuel 12:4 – In Nathan’s parable to David, “a traveler came to the rich man.” The passer-by becomes the catalyst that exposes covetousness and injustice, illustrating how a momentary opportunity can uncover hidden sin.

• Job 34:8 – Elihu rebukes Job for allegedly “walking with wicked men.” The image is that Job is journeying in company with evil—a figurative use that links companionship to shared moral direction.

• Jeremiah 9:2 – Jeremiah longs for “a travelers’ lodge in the desert” so he might leave a faithless nation, underscoring the prophet’s alienation amid rampant covenant violation.

• Jeremiah 14:8 – Judah cries, “Why are You like a traveler who stays but a night?” The people fear that the Lord’s presence has become fleeting because of their persistent rebellion.

Historical Background of Ancient Travel

In the ancient Near East, inns were rare. Travelers relied on the ethic of hospitality, enforced by social expectation and divine command (Genesis 18:1-8; Exodus 22:21). A stranger’s need placed immediate moral responsibility on a host, making the reception or rejection of a traveler a litmus test of communal righteousness (compare Hebrews 13:2).

Key Theological Themes

1. Hospitality as Covenant Obedience

The scenes in Judges 19 and 2 Samuel 12 expose the spiritual health of households and communities by the way they respond to a passer-by. Scripture consistently ties the treatment of travelers to faithfulness toward God, for He defends the vulnerable stranger (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

2. The Traveler as Moral Catalyst

Nathan’s parable shows that temptation often arrives like a guest: unplanned, short-lived, yet revealing the heart’s disposition. David’s sin lay not in the visitor’s arrival but in his own covetous response.

3. Pilgrimage and Alienation

Jeremiah’s desire for a desert lodging highlights the prophet’s status as a resident alien among his own people. The imagery anticipates New Testament teaching that believers are “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13), called to holiness amid cultural waywardness.

4. Divine Presence and Human Perception

The lament of Jeremiah 14:8 confronts the fear that God is only passing through. The covenant, however, assures that the Lord does not abandon His people; their experience of distance stems from unrepentant sin, not from divine fickleness (James 4:8).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Cultivate Biblical Hospitality

Welcoming the literal traveler—refugee, migrant, missionary—embodies the gospel by reflecting God’s welcome in Christ (Matthew 25:35).

• Address Fleeting Temptations Early

Pastors and believers should recognize “the traveler” of 2 Samuel 12:4 in everyday life: momentary desires that, if indulged, give birth to enduring consequences (James 1:14-15).

• Shepherd the Spiritually Dislocated

Like Jeremiah, many feel alien in a culture resistant to truth. Churches can provide a “lodge in the desert,” a community where holiness and compassion meet.

Christological and Eschatological Reflections

The Incarnate Son “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), yet confessed, “The Son of Man has no place to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). He embraced the status of a traveler to secure an eternal dwelling for His people (John 14:2-3). Until He returns, believers sojourn in hope, demonstrating by their conduct that they “seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14).

Summary

The Hebrew concept captured in Strong’s 732 not only records the everyday realities of ancient travel; it also furnishes Scripture with a versatile metaphor for hospitality, temptation, pilgrimage, and divine presence. From the violent streets of Gibeah to the prophetic anguish of Jeremiah, the traveler’s fleeting footprint calls God’s people to steadfast holiness, generous welcome, and confident trust that the Lord journeys with them until faith becomes sight.

אֹֽרְחִ֔ים ארחים הָאֹרֵ֖חַ הארח וְאָרַ֣ח וּכְאֹרֵ֖חַ וארח וכארח לָאֹרֵ֖חַ לארח ’ō·rə·ḥîm ’ōrəḥîm hā’ōrêaḥ hā·’ō·rê·aḥ haoReach lā’ōrêaḥ lā·’ō·rê·aḥ laoReach oreChim ū·ḵə·’ō·rê·aḥ ucheoReach ūḵə’ōrêaḥ veaRach wə’āraḥ wə·’ā·raḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts